The Cyclone Alchemist
by Screaming Argonaut
Summary: New character: General Carter Rei, the Cyclone Alchemist a sixty-two year old alchemist who manipulates the weather. Haunted by his past, the old general tries to keep the elric brothers from making the same mistakes he made. T for language


_I don't own FMA, just Carter._

"If I have to sign one more paper, I swear to god I'm going to shoot someone." Carter mumbled to himself in his far-too-spacious office. All of his things were by him at the corner of the room. Upon first walking into it, one would think that he was crazy, or he didn't want to walk across the room because of his age. That was certainly not the case. No, it wasn't. Carter wasn't old. He said so all the time. He aggressively signed his name on the last document and stood, arching his back to get the satisfying crack out of it. He grabbed his pea coat and nearly skipped down the hall; anxious to go home.

He chose to slow his pace and look professional in front of his peers. He really didn't care, though. He hated half the people he saw on his way to the entrance. Occasionally, he would see personnel whom he didn't mind, but he would snap at them and tell them to, "put their god-damn hands down" when they'd salute him. He didn't want their respect. He knew he didn't deserve it. He got to his position by kicking ass and kissing it. whoop-de-doo. He was a scientist, not a solider. His job was to make the world a better place with his abilities. He could do it, too. He could make rain in the most desolate places in the world and the economy would flourish, but no; there were wars to fight.

Rei got into his old roadster and started it up. The noise and the vibration soothed him immensely. He got his car a few years ago with some _research money_ that was going to expire if he didn't use it. The machine was sporty and fast. He liked it because it made him feel younger, even though that was ridiculous because he wasn't old. _Not at all_. He peeled away from his designated parking spot and rocketed home, where there was booze to drink, and cigs to smoke. Besides the boring-as-all-hell paperwork, he loved his life. He had his drinking buddies, his coworkers, his house, and his car. He didn't owe a single payment on his car or home. He could afford it and then some, but it was the good part of being…older. He cringed at that thought. Every birthday that came, he died a little inside. He was sixty-two years old; older than he's ever been and now he's even older, and now he's older still. He kept all the memories to himself, good and bad. If someone were to ask him about his life story, he would immediately change the subject.

He finally pulled into his garage adjacent to his home on the outskirts of Central. He lazily threw his coat on the couch, poured himself a glass of whiskey and opened a book. He sat on his chair and not a second later, his phone rang. He cursed loudly and stomped over to the desk where the pain-in-the-ass noise was coming from.

"Ugh, what?" he drawled into the phone.

"Now General, is that any way to greet your superior?" Fuhrer Bradley chuckled on the other end. Rei wanted to slam the phone down and run away.

"Oh…um, my apologies, Fuhrer, sir. I thought you were someone else." He nervously said into his phone. There were only two things that frightened him in this world; one was aging, and the other was Bradley.

"Relax General Rei, worse things have been said to me. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt you, but I felt that I needed to remind you that Mustang's team has been transferred to Central and I'm having you welcome them and get their office ready."

Rei felt his heart sink, he had completely forgotten. He flipped open his personal agenda and looked at the following week. Sure enough, two days later, he had scribbled something about Colonel Mustang.

"Ah, yes. I remember, sir. All taken care of. I'm just finalizing the paperwork now." He lied. As far as he knew, all offices with the exception of some small, one-man offices were taken. He didn't know what to do. He got off the phone with his superior and slumped back down in his chair.

He found his book and turned down his automail hearing aids to block out further interruptions.

Carter walked into his office the next morning with a giant hangover. For some reason, the magic, brainstorming liquor didn't help him with his problem. He kept his sunglasses on when he sat down. Much to his dismay, there was a stack of papers on his mahogany desk. He was forced to take off his sunglasses and read them. He held them at an arm's length away from him. The squinting only made his headache worse. After the third document was read at a distance, his subordinate arrived and she sighed at the sight before her.

"General Sir, I thought I got you some reading glasses. That can't be comfortable…"

"Lieutenant Wilson, if I want your help, I'll ask for it. Don't you have work to do?" He snapped. She shrugged and dropped more paperwork on his desk. She then went to get some coffee and some aspirin for Carter. She knew him all too well. As soon as she was gone, he looked up to see if anyone could see him. Once he was satisfied, he reached into his desk and pulled a pair of square reading glasses from it. His throbbing head thanked him once he had them on. He hated how well they worked. He put a dent in the pile and looked about. There was too much space for just him and Wilson. Why on earth did they give him this one? Suddenly, an idea hit him like a ton of bricks. He ran out of his office and yelled down the hall.

"Hey! Where are the cadets? YOU! Get your cadet buddies in here and help me move some things! Double-time!" He got a box and shoved everything in his desk within it. The cadets were good for one thing at least, physical labor. In about an hour of moving and explaining to Wilson where her desk and supplies were, the two were in an office where everything that Carter and Wilson needed were within reach. Carter had a cigar to celebrate his fantastic idea. Mustang and his team of five were in a comfortable office and he didn't look like an idiot for having so few items in such a vast office.

Ed arrived in Central to report to Mustang after finding his office in the east completely vacant. Needless to say, he wasn't in the best of moods. After giving his report to Roy, he turned to leave. However, Mustang stopped him.

"Fullmetal, Your evaluation is coming up and since you're in central already, go speak to General Rei." Ed hit his head on the door a few times before responding.

"I have to do that now? What do I have to do, you last-minute bastard?"

"Just show him what you've accomplished these last few years, and explain to him what you have to offer to the military. Simple. But for the love of god, be polite and show some respect. He is one of the best Alchemists in the military." Ed groaned loudly before he stormed out of the office.

Ed walked to where Hawkeye said Rei's office was. He saw the brass name-plate on his door and knocked. He didn't get a response, but heard a voice from within.

"You know what you're doing, right? This is one of my five senses you're toying with-GHAA! FUCK! COULD YOU BE A LITTLE MORE GENTLE? JESUS CHRIST!" Rei shouted from inside. Ed had very little patience for this, so he invited himself in. He was taken aback from what he saw. His childhood friend, Winry, had a small screwdriver in Carter's ear.

"Winry? What are you doing here?" Ed demanded, still confused about what was going on. She looked up and a giant smile appeared on her face before she lunged at him. The screwdriver was carelessly pulled from Rei's ear and he yelped in pain.

"Ed! I didn't think I'd see you here! Mr. Rei hired me to do some maintenance on his automail, isn't that great? He's got deep pockets, too!" she claimed. Carter picked his head off the floor and shouted at her.

"I may only have one in, but I can still hear you, missy!" She looked back and had an apologetic look to her face. She excused herself to finish her work. Ed sat in the chair in front of Rei's desk while she finished up. She put her tools away and told Ed to bring Al and meet her at the hotel where she was staying. Before she left, she gave Ed a kiss on the cheek. He blushed and turned to face Carter, who had a sly smile on his face.

"Cute girl, Fullmetal. I envy you."

"She's not my girlfriend! She's…a friend!" Rei gave him a look that said, "yeah, sure." He folded his hands on his desk and got down to buisiness.

"So Ed, I wasn't expecting you to come by for a couple weeks. I have to say I'm supris-…What are you looking at?" he asked. Ed's head was cocked to one side observing the side of the General's head.

"Um, your ear's bleeding…" Ed pointed out. Rei pulled out a tissue and dabbed at it.

"Hmm. Yup, that'll happen. Sorry you had to see that. Many don't know I have automail in my head."

"You have an automail brain?! How did that happen?" Ed asked seriously. Rei gave him an exasperated look.

"Ugh. No, idiot. My inner ear is automail. Without it, I'm completely deaf."

"Oh, how did that happen? Are you just that old?" Ed got out before a pen struck him in the forehead.

"An accident many years ago, smart-ass. Just tell me something good that happened over the last two years, and you're good." Ed was stunned that Rei was making this so easy. He expected that he would demand a demonstration or documents, but not this.

"Well, um…I got that corrupt priest out of Lior, and got that corrupt ass-wipe Yoki out of Youswell." Ed tensed in his seat, waiting for a reaction. Rei was looking down, writing notes. Ed craned his neck to see what he was writing, but Carter noticed and closed the manila folder.

"Oh yes, I heard about that. Well done, Fullmetal. Alright, your job is safe for the time being…is there anything you need?" He asked looking up at the boy, who looked appalled. He thought for a moment, not about what he wanted. He already knew what he wanted; he was just unsure how to go about asking.

"Um…I've been trying to get more…um, research money out Mustang, but he's ignoring me. I barely have enough to buy tickets and hotel rooms." Rei thought for a moment. He scribbled something else in the folder and wrote a number on a finance request form.

"Here, that should be enough. Please don't piss it all away; it'll look good for future assessments if you have a little left over." He handed Ed the document and Ed's eyes widened in surprise. Rei could only smirk at the sight before him.

"Hey Fullmetal, pick your jaw off the floor. Bring that to the finance department and they'll set you up. They haven't turned me down for more money yet. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a heinous amount of work to do." Ed snapped out of his trance and stood, saluting the General. Rei returned the gesture for once, and dismissed the lad. Before he left, Carter spoke to him.

"Hey kid, try and grow a little, huh? It's embarrassing."

"Shut up, you old geezer! I HAVE grown!" Ed slammed the door behind him and accidentally walked into Lieutenant Wilson, making her drop her papers.

"Oh! I'm sorry, ma'am. No, let me pick those up." Ed apologized nervously and handed her the documents. She looked at him and smiled.

"Why, you must be Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist! I'm Lieutenant Anna Wilson, Very nice to meet you, sir!" She exclaimed, shaking his hand. This stroked his ego that was hurting after Rei's last comment.

"Yeah, that's me. I just had my assessment. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was. I must be pretty good at my job!" he boasted. She chuckled and pulled him farther from Rei's door.

"That's because he likes you. You remind him of himself in his youth. You know he chose you out of all those other Alchemists that day, right?" She asked. Ed cocked his head to one side, confused.

"I thought the Fuhrer made that decision. I don't remember him being there."

"He _was_ there, you might not have seen him over the Fuhrer's towering stature, but he fought to get you in. He's the head of Military Alchemy. He was a state alchemist, just like you, he's called the Cyclone Alchemist. He uses alchemy to produce sudden weather changes. I've heard stories that he eliminated the enemy by creating an F5 tornado. I also heard it damn near killed him. That was thirteen years ago, so I wonder what he could do when he was younger...look at me, I'm rambling. Forgive me, sir."

She certainly was rambling; he had to give himself a minute to digest all that information.

"How do you know all this? Are you his niece, or something?"

"Oh my, no. I'm his assistant. I must be doing okay, because he's kicked out all the other assistants after the first week or so. He's a good man, but he hates himself for what's been forced to do. He won't talk about it. Just be careful about what you say to him, sir. I don't know anybody who would dare to go against him in a fight."

"Well, thanks for the warning, but I think I can handle a little old man." Ed scoffed. As soon as he said it, the door was kicked off its hinges and Carter ran after the poor kid. Anna sighed. The man probably turned his hearing aids up so he could hear the whole conversation. She shrugged her shoulders and went back to work.

Ed managed to avoid General Rei by hiding behind Major Armstrong. Ed made for the exit to discover it had started raining. He groaned loudly. The rain made his automail ports hurt and his hotel was far away from Central Headquarters. He put up his hood and prepared to go on the hike of his life, when Rei brushed past him and into the rain. The old man stood at the bottom of the stairs and Ed could only watch as he clapped and held his hands to the sky. Ed was confused at the man's behavior. First, he didn't get murdered when Rei found him, and now it looks like he was praying. Ed saw some alchemic sparks leave Carter's hands and a moment later, the rain stopped…completely. Carter walked towards the firing range and Ed discretely followed.

Carter pulled a suitcase out of his locker and assembled the Thompson machine gun within it. Ed watched in the shadows as Rei emptied the drum into the wooden target at the end of the range. He gulped when he noticed the head of target was completely missing. All that was left of the target was the body, and a splintered, smoking neck. Ed was relieved to see Rei putting the gun away. He was feeling courageous, so he made his way over to the man. Ed spoke trying to get Rei's attention, but it seemed like he was ignoring him. Edward Elric is never ignored, so he gently tapped him on the shoulder. The man jumped about a foot into the air at this; he was taken completely by surprise. He whipped around and grunted at the boy. He turned his hearing aid up and almost bared his teeth.

"Can I help you with something, Fullmetal?" he asked with venom in his voice. Ed composed himself and asked him a question with determination.

"I saw you stop the rain, and I was really impressed. Can I see your notes for research purposes Sir?"

"No." was the immediate answer. Ed was taken aback by the minuscule amount of thought put into Rei's answer. Ed wasn't ready to give up quite yet.

"But with power like that, I can make lives better! Give back to my fellow man! Please? I won't use it like you did in Ishvall." Ed knew he had crossed the line with that last statement as soon as he said it. Rei punched the wall of his stall in anger. For being an old man, he left quite the dent in the steel.

"Don't ever speak of that massacre around me! What happened there was a national tragedy. I killed so many people there that I'm haunted by them!" He sighed. He knew the boy didn't mean what he said. He apologized and explained what happened.

"Thirteen years ago, I was stationed in Ishvall along with many other Alchemists. I was a Brigadier General at the time. Colonel Mustang went in and fried all the soldiers. I thought that we were done. Until my commanding officer handed me a philosopher's stone and ordered me to level the city. At first I refused, but he threatened to court martial me if I didn't. He assured me that all of the residents were either dead, or at their camps. He told me to make it impressive as a warning to all who go against Amestris. All the Amestrian soldiers took cover as I went in. Because I was in the desert, I had to pull moisture from across the country to power this…monstrosity. The philosopher's stone fueled my energy, and it felt fantastic, but as soon as that tornado hit, I heard the screams. Men, women, and children screamed in agony as their homes fell on top of them. I will never forget seeing a crib flying up my twister. My commanding officer screamed at me over the radio to not stop until it was completely leveled. I couldn't take it anymore so I used the remaining energy of my stone to kill the tornado. As the clouds cleared, the sun illuminated the destruction I created. The stone was completely used and it disappeared in my hand. As soon as I got back, I destroyed all my notes on weather alchemy. There cannot be another Cyclone alchemist, Ed." Rei fell to his knees as all the memories of that war came flooding back. Carter lit a cigarette and smoked until the pain went away. He got to his feet and offered Edward a ride back to his hotel.

_More to come_


End file.
